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A Tunisian court has rejected an emergency request to suspend operations at a major fertiliser factory in the coastal city of Gabes, despite years of outcry from residents who blame the facility for severe health issues.
The ruling, delivered on Thursday, stated that there was insufficient scientific and technical evidence to prove the plant was causing immediate harm.
Mounir Adouni, head of the Gabes bar association, which spearheaded the legal action, confirmed the decision but noted that it was an emergency ruling, with a final verdict on the case still pending.
The court’s stance appears to conflict with a recent environmental audit conducted for the African Development Bank, which identified “major non-compliance” regarding air and marine pollution.
The audit found that the plant, which processes phosphate into fertiliser for export, emits dangerous levels of sulphur, nitrogen, and fluorine gases.
Thousands of locals took to the streets in October to protest these emissions, linking the facility to a spike in respiratory illnesses and other chronic health conditions within the community.
Despite the environmental concerns and a 2017 government pledge to gradually shut the plant down, President Kais Saied’s administration has pivoted toward ramping up production.
Viewing the phosphate sector as a “pillar of the national economy,” authorities are looking to capitalise on rising global fertiliser prices, with a target to quadruple output by 2030.
To facilitate this, the African Development Bank recently approved $110 million in funding intended to rehabilitate and environmentally upgrade the ageing infrastructure.
The legal battle has also intensified tensions between the state and environmental activists.
Earlier this month, the campaign group “Stop Pollution” reported that 12 of its members were sentenced to a year in prison related to a protest held in 2020.
Undeterred by the court’s latest ruling, the Gabes bar association plans to file an appeal on Friday, arguing that the health of the citizens should take priority over the economic gains of the state-run industry.
